Career Counseling Informed Consent

Disclosure Statement: In this statement we wish to present some information concerning our qualifications as counselors, our office procedures, and your rights as a client. Please read this form and ask me any questions to help clarify for you the information presented.

Mission Statement: North Idaho College Career Services provides high quality, responsive career counseling, resources, and education to students, prospective students, and alumni, to help ensure that their education is purposeful, to assist them in choosing and achieving meaningful career and life goals, and to increase their lifelong opportunities for success.

Licensure & Education: The professionals who will be interpreting the Strong Interest Inventory have participated in a training program and are fully certified to administer and interpret this instrument.

Benefits and Risks of Counseling: Possible benefits from counseling include improved emotional health and wellbeing, clearer understanding of yourself, improved relationships, and an improved ability to cope with stress and anxiety. Additional benefits include a fuller awareness of thoughts, feelings, and beliefs and the ability to implement these into decision making. Possible risks of counseling include temporary emotional discomfort, awareness of the need to make decisions that may be life changing or cause changes in relationships with others, and little to no improvement in symptoms.

Social Media Policy: In order to uphold the professional relationship between practitioner and client, counselors will not accept friend requests from clients on any social media platform (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, etc).

Text and Email: Due to the unprotected format of text messaging and email, both should be used for the purposes of scheduling, confirming, rescheduling, or cancelling appointments. Counselors and clients may use email as a way to share articles or documents pertaining to treatment, but do not have any personally identifiable information (PII) within the document, unless written or email permission is granted by the client. Clients may send documents with PII, by email, with the understanding that email is not a protected form of communication.

Distance Counseling: When appropriate, distance counseling is available. Although your counselor has taken substantial steps to ensure the confidentiality and privacy of counseling provided online through a Zoom meeting, NIC Career Services cannot guarantee the security of any internet or cell phone transmissions or communications. You agree to take full responsibility for the security of any communications or treatment documentation on your own computer and in your own physical location.

Appointments & Fees: Appointments are highly recommended, but drop-ins are welcome at certain times. Some services require appointments, including career assessments such as the Strong Interest Inventory and the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. If interested in completing career assessments, please make an appointment and pay the associated fee if applicable (The Strong Interest Inventory is $20 upon appointment and the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is $30 upon appointment). All payments are final and will not be refunded. You are expected to participate in all scheduled appointments. If you are unable to attend an appointment, please provide 24 hours’ notice prior to your scheduled appointment time.

If your counselor is absent for an extended amount of time (i.e. illness, vacation, or work-related absence), you may request to continue career counseling services with an alternate counselor at Career Services for the designated time frame.

Client Rights:

1. To be treated with dignity, consideration and respect at all times.
2. To expect quality service provided by concerned, trained, professional and competent staff.
3. To expect complete confidentiality within the limits of the law.
4. Counselor will state the purpose, goals, and techniques of career counseling practices.
5. To appropriate information regarding the staff’s education, training, skills, license and practice limitations and to request and receive referrals to other clinicians when appropriate.
6. To full, knowledgeable, and responsible participation in the ongoing treatment plan.
7. To obtain information about case record and to have this information explained clearly and directly.
8. To request information and/or consultation regarding the conduct and progress of career counseling.
9. To refuse any recommended services and to be advised of the consequences of this action.
10. To a safe environment free of emotional, physical, and sexual abuse.
11. To a clearly defined ending process, and to discontinue career counseling at any time.

Confidentiality:

1. The general requirement that career counselors keep information confidential does not apply when disclosure is required to protect clients or identified others from serious and foreseeable harm or when legal requirements demand that confidential information must be revealed.
2. When clients disclose that they have a disease commonly known to be both communicable and life threatening, counselors may be justified in disclosing information to identifiable third parties, if they are known to be at demonstrable and high risk of contracting the disease.
3. When subpoenaed to release confidential or privileged information the career counselor must comply to a certain degree.
4. The career counselor (or staff member) does not release information by request unless accompanied by a specific release of information or a valid court order.
5. Information received in confidence by Career Counseling Services, shall not be forwarded to another person or agency without client’s written permission.
6. Sessions with clients may be taped or otherwise recorded only with their written permission.
7. If you are a current student, limited information, including assessments you have taken and careers you are considering, may be shared with Advising Services to provide you with quality advising.